Method and apparatus for graphics processing is described. More particularly, a graphics processing subsystem capable of multi-pass graphics data processing is described. The graphics processing subsystem includes a geometry processor and a fragment processor, where output from the fragment processo ...

The present invention provides methods and apparatus for creating lifelike digital representations of three-dimensional objects. Steps and means are described by which an animator may efficiently select and combine a plurality of animated objects to generate a new animated objects. According to the ...

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for automatically generating features of computer animated objects that are represented by a skeleton surrounded by an envelope. An animator may modify the shape of the envelope for a particular configuration of the object's skeleton ("pose"). These envelope modif ...

A method and system for patching instructions in a 3-D graphics pipeline. Specifically, in one embodiment, instructions to be executed within a scheduling process for a shader pipeline of the 3-D graphics pipeline are patchable. A scheduler includes a decode table, an expansion table, and a resource ...

Methods and apparatus for creating lifelike digital representations of scenes that include numerous fine-grained objects such as hair. Individualized geometric models are defined for a selected, manageable subset of the fine-grained objects. By interpolating based upon these defined geometric models ...

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for creating lifelike digital representations of scenes that include numerous fine-grained objects such as hair. Individualized geometric models are defined for a selected, manageable subset of the fine-grained objects. By interpolating based upon these defined ge ...

The present invention provides methods and apparatus for creating lifelike digital representations of three-dimensional objects. Steps and means are described by which an animator may efficiently select and combine a plurality of animated objects to generate a new animated objects. According to the ...

A scalable shader architecture is disclosed. In accord with that architecture, a shader includes multiple shader pipelines, each of which can perform processing operations on rasterized pixel data. Shader pipelines can be functionally removed as required, thus preventing a defective shader pipeline ...

A method and apparatus of operating a shader having multiple texture or shader processing stations. That method includes feeding the output of a texture or shader processing station directly into the input of another texture or shader processing station. Further, only a subset of the processing stat ...

A method of optimizing perspective correction computations to be executed in a programmable fragment shader, identifying a sequence of program instructions; determining whether the sequence of program instructions can be optimized based on the status of the bit; sourcing one or more interpolated tex ...